Diving after DCS

[medgl01]

About 4 months ago, I came back from my first dive trip with DCS symptoms after doing 20 dives in 6 days. When I came back home, I had tingling in my fingers and I had a dull ache in my bicep and shoulder. I was treated with two table 6s in the chamber. The treatment cleared up all the symptoms except for the mild ache in my bicep and slight tingling in my fingers. The tingling in my fingers went away completely and the mild ache has steadily improved since. The dive doctor gave me clearance to dive after 3 months.

To get back into diving, I did one dive last week in the quarry to about 45ft for 30 min and I felt fine afterwards. Last weekend, I did two dives on Saturday which were both 40 ft for 30 min with 1.5 hr si. I now feel a slight tingling or itchy feeling on the back of my hands. Are these symptoms anything to be concerned about and should I seek medical consultation? I really want to get back into diving, but at the same time, my health is more important.

 

[vlada]

About 4 months ago, I came back from my first dive trip with DCS symptoms after doing 20 dives in 6 days. When I came back home, I had tingling in my fingers and I had a dull ache in my bicep and shoulder. I was treated with two table 6s in the chamber. The treatment cleared up all the symptoms except for the mild ache in my bicep and slight tingling in my fingers. The tingling in my fingers went away completely and the mild ache has steadily improved since. The dive doctor gave me clearance to dive after 3 months.

To get back into diving, I did one dive last week in the quarry to about 45ft for 30 min and I felt fine afterwards. Last weekend, I did two dives on Saturday which were both 40 ft for 30 min with 1.5 hr si. I now feel a slight tingling or itchy feeling on the back of my hands. Are these symptoms anything to be concerned about and should I seek medical consultation? I really want to get back into diving, but at the same time, my health is more important.

You should do a search - there were very similar threads in the last few months about this issue. Here's the one i found

http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=62524

The answer to your last question is yes, you should seek qualified advice - and not from Internet. Call DAN, talk to a doc and do what they say.

And for future dives - this is what i did when i was coming back after a hit - I monitor my body right before the dive - note all the aches and pains, muscle strains, etc. Then compare after the dive - if the aches and pains are the same as before, I am likely OK - if the sympthom is completely new - like a skin rash - then i might have a problem

And good luck

 

[ScubaDadMiami]

There is the obvious point: you may have some biological nuance that gets you bent easier than most a la patent foramen ovale. Get checked by a diving physician.

That much being said, I have often heard from people that have gotten bent that they also have symptoms of DCI when returning to diving after a hit even when they are well within what used to be their tolerance before the hit. It's kind of like returning to exercising after not working out for a while. This will usually go away after your body is used to diving again.

Nonetheless, I am not a diving physician. Get checked, and don't go by what you see on the Internet. I am just telling you what others in your situation have told me before.

Next time, try to do only 19 dives in a day instead of 20. :11ztongue

 

[medgl01]

The symptoms have actually improved to where they are almost unnoticeable. Just to be on the safe side, I called DAN yesterday and they recommended getting in touch with my local hyperbaric chamber and dive doctor. I have an appointment today with the dive doctor to get checked out. Like you said, I may have some biological nuance, and perhaps returning to diving may take a little longer for me. I may also need to be much more conservative than everyone else for a while. I appreciate your responses.

 

[Jersey Chris]

Good luck, let us know what the Doc has to say. I am curious as well that if you get a Hit of DCS does it make a person more succeptable to get it again in the furure??

 

[mmcdds]

Good luck, let us know what the Doc has to say. I am curious as well that if you get a Hit of DCS does it make a person more succeptable to get it again in the furure??

I called DAN with that exact same question a few months ago and I was told that, unless you have some predisposing medical condition (such as patent foramen ovale, etc.) getting a hit of DCS doesn't prediispose you to future bouts with DCS.

 

[vlada]

I called DAN with that exact same question a few months ago and I was told that, unless you have some predisposing medical condition (such as patent foramen ovale, etc.) getting a hit of DCS doesn't prediispose you to future bouts with DCS.

That's the official answer. I know of several examples when first hit left the person more succeptible to subsequent hits. I also experienced it first hand. None of the people that that i know who had repeat hits have had positive PFO tests

I know that i had been doing some crazy diving before the hit, like 30 dives over 6 days with 2-3 deco dives per day, on air - my max now is 3 dives per day on nitrox. Strangely enough, my body seems to be tolerating deep trimix dives much better then dives in 100 ft range

So, no matter what DAN says, be real careful when coming back and listen to what your body tells you

 

[Tim Ingersoll]

Hi my name is Tim and its been five months since my last DCS hit. I'm scheuled to hit TCI in early November. It was an opportunity I could not pass up even though I had originally planned to dive in Coz in January for my first post-DCS diving. I admit I'm a little nervous about diving in a place without a chamber but I intend to:
1) Dive Nitrox on air tables;
2) Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate;
3) No cigarettes;
4) No alcohol (that hurts);
5) No strenuous exercise before, during or after.

I'll post a thread here as well as a dive report. Thanks for all your help.

 

[gr8fulr2]

I am pretty sure Coz has a chamber

 

[medgl01]

Just an update on my original posting. I had my appointment with my dive doctor the next day. The tingling symptoms actually subsided and he did not recommend any chamber treatment. I was very thankful as the chamber is not something I want to experience again. He said doing one or two conservative dives after waiting 4 months and being symptom free was a good approach.

After my doctor examined me and asked questions about the dives, my doctor unfortunately thinks I may have a predisposition to DCS. Perhaps I have the PFO condition that has been mentioned? Until coming across it on this board and from DAN, I had not heard about this condition and I am just learning and reading about it now. Regardless, my doctor recommends that I consider not diving anymore.

I also received a reply from DAN that "There is no research to indicate that there would be a higher risk of DCI if all the symptoms have resolved and there is no underlying predisposition to get DCI, e.g. PFO." DAN also mentioned that the "numbness or tingling may come from other causes such as a nerve impingement." Somehow, I don't feel nerve impingement is the case but certainly again worth considering. I haven't shut the door on diving yet, but I probably won't try diving again soon and will seriously consider my doctor's advice.

Thanks for your replies.